TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A group of 50 major apparel companies including Nike, Adidas, and Hugo Boss have signed open letters calling on Taiwan to ensure “responsible business practices” for migrant workers.

The letters (see below) were published by the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) and the Fair Labor Association (FLA) on Thursday (Sept. 12) and are addressed to Labor Minister Ho Pei-shan (何佩珊) and Economy Minister Kuo Jyh-huei (郭智輝). The letters said signatories are concerned about conditions in Taiwan’s textile factories and are concerned about reports of forced labor and debt bondage among migrant workers in Taiwan.

The letters said Taiwan has made “tremendous strides to protect migrant workers,” but more needs to be done. Eight reccomendations have been made to better protect migrant workers’ rights that included legal changes, international agreements, increasing unionization, and more resources for government agencies.

Taiwan should create new regulations or laws to prohibit brokers from charging recruitment fees to workers, the letters said. They noted that under International Labor Organization standards, the employer is expected to pay costs associated with employing staff, and that fees for migrant workers charged by recruitment agencies should be paid by the employer.

The companies also recommended the government expand its Direct Hiring Service Center to make it faster and easier to use. The center was established in 2007 to provide a path to employment for migrant workers that does not involve a recruitment agency.

Implementing these changes would provide confidence that Taiwan’s migrant workers will not experience unethical recruitment or poor working conditions, the letters said. Representatives of the AAFA and FLA said they plan to hold meetings in Taipei soon, and discuss their proposals directly with ministers Ho and Kuo.

The US government’s 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report noted Taiwan fully meets the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking. However, the report also found that foreign brokers often require migrant workers to pay “exorbitantly high recruitment fees and deposits.”

“As a result, some foreign workers incur substantial debts, which brokers or employers use as tools of coercion to force workers into debt bondage,” the report reads.

In response to the US government report, the Ministry of the Interior said issues raised within it are being addressed according to the government’s 2023-2024 Anti-Exploitation Action Plan. The plan sets out the objectives of reviewing communities vulnerable to human trafficking, improving legal protections, increasing prosecutions, and other measures.